For a Place in the Sun – Folha de S. Paulo, August 28, 1977

 

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

 

Thanks largely to the TFP caravans’ selfless and fearless actions, the positions that this entity and I have taken in response to the Vatican’s Ostpolitik and the rapprochement between leftists and Catholics worldwide are well known throughout Brazil.

So far, even among those who disagree with our attitudes, no one has denied two essential attributes of the specific dignity of those who write for the public: strong arguments and respectful language.

I am pleased to remind you of this in Folha, where I have been writing for years to its readers. They are in a particularly favorable position to attest to the validity of this statement. In contrast, yesterday I came across an article in Folha, devoid of logic and overflowing with gall, written by the auxiliary bishop of São Paulo, Most Rev. Benedito Ulhoa Vieira, against the TFP and me.

However opposed it was to the TFP’s position and mine, I would have been pleased if that article had shone with logic and respect, given my veneration for episcopal dignity, and had upheld the magnificent traditions of the Catholic episcopate in our troubled times.

I noticed none of this in Bishop Ulhoa Vieira’s article. Even if the unfounded accusations he hurled at us were true, his acrimony was so extreme as to be exaggerated.

“Everything that is exaggerated is insignificant,” Talleyrand said.

That is why I refrain from further comment on the prelate’s article.

I am pleased to do so because a more appealing topic beckons.

I imagine the reader browsing this article, sitting comfortably in an armchair at home or at the office. Or perhaps he is traveling hurriedly by bus, car, or plane. Whether he is relaxing in the serenity of his home, going to work, or on his way to the weekend, whether he belongs to the upper, middle, or lower middle class, or is a worker who enjoys reading and is interested in matters of religion and his country, he generally lives an organized, laborious, yet peaceful life.

How much time and attention did he devote to reading the news about Soldiers’ Day during those days? How deep is his appreciation and recognition of our Armed Forces?

Does it occur to the reader that the conditions in which he lives would not exist if, from the 1960s to the present, the Armed Forces had not engaged in a relentless struggle against armed aggression and the revolutionary psychological warfare Moscow wages against Brazil?

The reader will realize the injustice, oppression, and misery he would be immersed in if these brave Brazilians had not exposed themselves to the bloody machine-gunning of the Reds, as well as to the bloodless—but no less cruel—machine-gunning by so many media outlets infiltrated by communists.

At a time when we all fondly remember the deeds of the great, legendary soldiers of the past, it is only fair that we not forget the actions, in some ways even more commendable, of the soldiers of the present. The aggression they fight may not offer opportunities for the classic beauty of conventional warfare. The enemies they face do not act openly, nor are they colleagues with whom they would be honored to come into contact during the intervals of war. On the contrary, they are enemies acting in the shadows, who must be discovered and confronted in their lairs and basements.

Furthermore, they are contenders who wield the most terrible weapon of propaganda, persecute their opponents with sarcasm and slander, and exploit to the hilt mistakes or lapses that are difficult for humans to avoid.

Laughter? Sarcasm? Is there heroism in confronting them?

* * *

I recently read Prince Bernhard von Bülow’s memoirs. He was the greatest German chancellor and perhaps the greatest adversary of William II. Recalling his participation in the 1870 war against France as a young man, he described a telling episode. His regiment was climbing a mountain under heavy French fire. To protect themselves, the Germans advanced in a zigzag pattern, frequently bending. This gave the grotesque impression that they were curtsying to the enemy. Their commanding officer then ordered them to advance as if on flat, level ground. Fearing that the instinct of self-preservation would lead his men to disobey, he instructed them to loudly mock any comrades who disobeyed. Faced with the choice between their compatriots’ mockery and the enemy fire, the soldiers chose the fire.

Did the officer act correctly? I am not an officer, so I will leave the answer to the experts. However, the German commander proved to be a shrewd psychologist. Sometimes it takes more courage to face ridicule than gunfire. In the specific case of the Brazilian military’s anticommunist actions, they faced more than ridicule.

It should be noted that the heroes of this noble struggle—to which the Church, once freed from the “smoke of Satan,” will one day do justice—are mostly men living modestly, rendering their magnificent services for a meager wage, and above all with the noble joy of serving, which so few understand. They serve Brazil. They serve Christian civilization, without which Brazil would cease to be Brazilian.

“Dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare” — so read the ancient words of the Catholic liturgy: it is right and just, equitable and salutary, to honor those who deserve it.

So, I call upon our esteemed readers to honor these brave individuals who are dedicated to ensuring that every Brazilian has a place in the sun, thereby benefiting everyone.